PromiseNo Place to Judge
by owladriatic
Summary: Lizzy and Darcy become neighbors, leading to their friendship, inevitable fights, and their (possible) love. Modern, not-LBD universe, full summary inside. Sequel of sorts to Promise. And heads up: terrible writing.
1. Chapter 1

Hi folks! This is a story that I am writing partially based of two one-shots that I wrote called Promise.

Lizzie is an independent girl who is entering med school at Stanford. Financially, she does very well. She also has a daughter. How she got her is kind of a secret, although she is adopted.

Darcy is also independent. He is stepping into the role of running his father's branch of the business in Silicon Valley. Georgiana (Gia) lives with him and is 4ish. There is an eighteen year age difference. Unrealistic, I am quite aware, but essential.

I also can't get my computer to put the write accents over the Chinese words and names I use, so excuse my mistakes. I do know that they are there, I speak the language.

...

"I want to meet the new neighbors!" Gia begs, pulling at my arm. She has been begging since the cookies came out of the oven five minutes ago. I had just been trying to finish an already stressful business call.

"Thanks David. I will call you back tomorrow. Yes, I will remember the time difference." I say, finally finishing the long phone call. If I had it my way, I would have had another twenty minutes, but Gia was extremely pushy.

"Let's go Gia." I tell her, only a little frustrated with her for not allowing me to finish the call in peace. She runs over to the door and opens it with all the strength she has. I smile slightly and grab the plate of cookies off the counter. I follow her out the door where she is running across the yard to their house. She is already on their front steps by the time that I am in their yard. She stretches her arms and hits the doorbell. Just as the door opens, I land on the doorstep.

"Hello. We're are your neighbors in that house." I tell her, indicating the direction of our Brownstone. I hold out the cookies afterwards.

"thank you. Why don't you guys come in and we can all split these?" She smiles the whole time, and it is a little weird to me that she can talk and grin like the chesire cat.

"Sure." I say. She opens the door and gestures us in. As we sit down on the couch, Gia beside me she calls up the stair case.

"Lí Fāng!" She calls up the stairs. She turns back to us.

"Is rice milk ok?" She asks as feet come padding down the stairs.

"It's all we drink." I tell her. She smiles again, even wider than before if that is possible, and walks through the door and into the kitchen. In a moment or two she remerges, carrying three glasses of rice milk.

That's when a little girl appears at her leg. She wraps her arms around her and stands behind her, painfully shy. Gia crawled onto my lap and sucked her thumb, nervously eying the other girl.

The neighbor bends down and whispers something to the girl.

"Nî Hao." She says shyly. Her mother laughs.

"In English sweetheart." She prods.

"Hello." The little girl says and comes out a little from behind her mothers leg.

"My name is Gia." Gia says from my lap. She crawls off slowly and goes to stand in front of the girl.

"I'm four. How old are you?" She asks demandingly. The girls mother smiled again.

"Sì." She says.

"English." Her mother says sternly.

"I'm four too." The girl says, nervously pulling her bottom lip in and out of her mouth.

"What's your name?" Gia demanded.

"Lî." The girl states. She crawls out completely from behind her mom's leg.

She looks about four, but is three or four inches shorter than Gia. She looks Asian and has bangs cut evenly across her forehead. She messes with the strap to her pink overalls.

"Do you want a cookie sweetheart?'" Asks her mother. It occurs to me that I don't know her name yet.

Lî crawls up onto the couch, and Gia follows her. They sit side by side and dive into the cookies. Her mother looks up at me, noticing that I was watching her. I tried to avert my eyes but I didn't do it in time.

"I'm Elizabeth by the way." She say. She sticks her hand out in front of the girls and I shake it.

"Will." I say. She nods with a smile and starts watching her daughter again. She brushes her unruly black hair behind her ear while carefully listening to her daughters speech.

"Lî, only English." She prods. Lî nods and turns back to Gia, and she speaks slower now.

"She has a hard time switching back and forth between Chinese and English." She tells me conversationally. I nod.

"When I was younger I used to get my French and English mixed up all the time." I tell her.

"Did you grow up in France?" She asks in a genuinely interested voice.

"During the school year, yes. Until high school probably." I tell her, reminiscing about all the years I spent in our comfortable Parisian apartment. She nods.

"You always miss it, even if you're only gone for summer." She says it more as a statement than a question so I ask.

"I lived in New York during summers, but attended boarding school in Minnesota during high-school." She tells me before I get a chance to ask. I nod.

"I spent my summers in NYC." I tell her.

"Really?" She asks with a smile. Sensing that the topic could head towards my parents, I change the subject.

"So what do you do?" I ask her. She looks confused, but she goes along with it.

"I write Spanish and Chinese exams and online learning foreign language programs. I'm also going into med-school at Stanford." I smile at Stanford.

"Really?" I say.

"You?" She asks.

"I just finished Law School at Harvard." I admit. She smiles.

"Good for you. I did my first year of Biology there." She tells me.

"Really?" I ask.

"Why did you leave?" She laughs at what must be a shocked expression on my face.

"Stanford offered my full-scholarship and I couldn't keep up with tuition after I adopted her." She tells me, gesturing to her daughter. Now that I thought about it, I realized that neither of them looked alike.

"I thought about transferring out of Harvard after I got custody of Gia." I admit.

"Normally, I would be weirded out by a stranger sharing so much information with a stranger, but I did start it and I don't think that either of us are in a place to judge." She says with another chuckle at the end. I laugh too.

"When I tell most people that I adopted a baby my freshman year of college, they go slack-jawed and assume that I'm lying and she's really mine."

"When I tell people I fought for custody against my aunt for my sister and won they also think that she's mine." We laugh together. That's when I realize that Gia is no longer sitting right there. My eyes widen and I look around for her.

"Relax." She says with another laugh.

"They are right over there." She says, pointing to the corner of the living room. My eyes finally land on the two playmates. They are both holding a doll and laughing. I turn to see her smiling at her.

"Normally she doesn't have a lot of friends because of the language barrier." Elizabeth tells me.

"Gia doesn't ever get to have her friends over because all her preschool buddies parents thought that I was a weird frat boy. They all thought I was her father too." Elizabeth laughs.

"I had to explain it to this guy that asked me out, and it was so awkward." She giggles. I laugh too, and it occurs to me that she isn't trying to show off, she is sharing a story about getting judged, something we both have in common.

"I personally think I have it worse than you." I tell her with a teasing grin.

"Why is that?" She asks with a smirk.

"America just got used to the idea of single mothers, single fathers still needs to sink in." I say. She laughs.

"If there is one thing that this experience has taught me, it is that you can never judge a person." She says it with a slight smile and I turn sober also and agree.

"If only I could find myself that says, Big Brother, Just Trying to Help." I say. She laughs.

"Unfortunately, I don't think that it would matter. In my opinion, Americans are some of the most judgmental people in the world." I laugh with her, but secretly think of the truth of her statement. People will think what they want to think, it is unfortunately inevitable. And as I sat there, I was glad that I had found someone who understood.

...

Review please!

Also, I understand that my writing and dialogue in general is not the best. My apologies.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the reviews! Let's shoot for ten to get the next chapter posted!

...

Gia and Lî had become very good friends in the past week. Everyday when one of them would play outside, the other would follow. I was secretly glad that they got along so well, I enjoyed talking to Elizabeth. She had even invited me and Gia to join her and Lî for dinner twice. We had accepted, and what can I say. She can cook.

In short, I cannot say that I was surprised when I found that Gia was on the roof of their brownstone with Elizabeth and Lî.

"Hi!" She yelled overloud from the roof while waving. I waved back. Suddenly, Elizabeth's head came over the edge.

"Come join us! Gia said it's in the same place as it is in your house!" She disappeared back over the edge and I was left to contemplate. It did not take long to decide. Of course I wanted to be by Elizabeth. I opened the door and was surprised to find that the living room was even cleaner than it was the last time I had been it. Which was yesterday. It was spotless.

I walked up the curving stairs, and soon found the ladder to the top. I walked up them and was surprised to find when I stepped onto the roof that there was dirt under my foot. I glanced done, and was relieved to see that my foot had not landed on one of the planted plots.

Gia and Lî walked down the rows of dirt with watering cans. Gia followed behind Lî. They both wore gardening gloves that were comically large. I smiled at the site.

That's when I saw Elizabeth. What can I say. She looks incredibly beautiful even with dirt smeared on her face and her hair haphazardly balancing on the top of her head. Her t-shirt was clinging to her chest from all the sweat. Her knees were coated in dirt, but to tell the truth, it was the hottest I had ever seen her.

"Can I help?" I ask, kneeling down to her level where she was poking holes and then dropping seeds into them.

"Sure. Just poke some holes about an inch into the ground, and leave three inches in between every hole." She says simply. I nod, observe her poking pattern and continue. When I come to the end of the row, I turn around to look at her. She is already looking at me expectantly.

"You can go behind me and cover up all the holes." She says. I nod and stand up to go behind her. We work for a while, and eventually we finish. Apparently it was the last row. Just as we were watching the girls finish their watering, my phone rings. I dig it out of my pocket. Why was Charles calling? He was coming to visit tomorrow.

"Hey." I say into the phone.

"Hey Will. I'm at your house and your not here." He says, with a slightly annoyed voice, Charles is never annoyed, so this worries me.

"No, I am here. Look up." I tell him. He does and I lean over the roof, just like Elizabeth did and wave. He laughs into the phone.

"Ok. I need an hour to freshen up before we can leave for dinner. I am so excited!" He says before hanging up. My eyes widen at the statement. Was it really today?  
"Gia, we gotta go." I yell from the other side of the rooftop, all flustered.

"I have to go to dinner with a friend, I completely forgot." I say, feeling terrible.

"I'll take Gia if you don't have a sitter lined up. I'm sure that she would love to stay the night. I assume that's what kind of friend this is." She says with a laugh.

"Charles is a bit of a night owl." I admit. She laughs.

"We'll break into your house and get some of Gia's stuff before bed. Does she have anything going on tomorrow?" She asks. I shake my head.

"You are an angel. Here is my spare key." I say digging it out of my pocket. I hand it to her and she puts it in hers.

"Thank you so much." I say before quickly giving her a hug. It was nice hugging her, even if she smelled like dirt. She reciprocates and pulls away.

"Now go get cleaned up. Your covered in dirt night owl." She jokes. I smile and disappear down the ladder, thinking of the short but breathtaking hug that we had shared.

...

"Can I ask where Gia is?" Charles ass as we settle down into our table at the swanky restaurant that he had suggested.

"Someone just moved into the house next to me, and she has a four year old daughter too. They get along great and are best friends."

"She?" Charles asks. Sometimes I wish he didn't pick up on small details like that.

"She's going into med school at Stanford." I tell him, taking a small sip of water. Charles lifts his eyebrows.

"Is she single?" He inquires. I roll my eyes.

"Yes. And before you judge, she adopted the child. I don't know the whole story, but we are sort of friends. I really like her actually." I say, blushing.

"Do you like her like that?" Charles asks, his eyes widening. I haven't liked anyone since Kindergarten if I remember correctly.

"I think so." I say, aware that my face was getting increasingly warm.

"Wow. Good for you man." He says.

"I haven't asked her out or anything." I tell him with a shrug.

"Waiting to make sure that she isn't in it for the money?" Charles asked disapprovingly. I blush again, and nod.

"Darcy, honestly, I don't know why you would think that. If she can afford to live in your neighborhood in a house that costs just as much as yours, I am sure that she has plenty of money that is her own." Charles states firmly. I nod in agreement.

"I just want to wait a little bit longer, make sure that she likes me too. In that way." I stutter the second sentence and Charles rolls his eyes relatively far.

"You have always been afraid of rejection." He tells me sympathetically. That's Charlie for you, constantly switching from friend to counselor.

"I will do it when the time is right. Preferably before Caroline comes." I say with inferring eyebrows. His fave turns red this time, and because of his hair color, we are talking incredibly red.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that she was trying to get an invitation. Although what I gave her was as good as one." She says in his ashamed voice while biting his lip. I suddenly feel bad for him. It really wasn't his fault that he accidentally slipped to his sister where he was spending his week of vacation.

"It's ok Charles, really." I tell him. He sighs when he sees my face. I'm a terrible liar and I am now a different shade of red.

"Will, it was really bad of me. It was supposed to be time for us to catch up and for me to give you some help with Gia. It's my fault that Caroline is intruding." He begs. I silently fume. If he felt so bad, why didn't he just tell her that she couldn't come?

But I knew why. Charles hated hurting anyones feelings, above all his sisters. If she even had feelings. Nice and innocent ones that is.

"It's ok. Gia probably needs some girl time." I say, lying. Charles raises his eyebrows.

"Is this neighbor if yours close with Gia?" He asks.

"It's only been a week, but yes Gia loves her. All she can talk about is her and her daughter. They are actually going to the same school." I tell him.

"I'm sure that this neighbor is doing a better job than Caroline could." Charles said. And with that, the conversation turned to the menu.

...

It's eight in the morning by the time I get back to the house. Charles and we ended up driving out to my new office, which was fifteen minutes away from the house and watching a ton of old movies.

I felt terrible for springing Gia on Elizabeth, so I stop by this amazing coffee shop and get a huge chai, which I happen to know is her favorite from Gia telling me. When I get to the house, I am about to ring the doorbell when it swings open. Elizabeth puts her finger to her lips. She leads me into the kitchen.

"The girls are sleeping." She tells me quietly. She looks exhausted.

"You look tired." I comment, secretly glad that she was. She would enjoy the caffeinated chai that much more.

"My boss changed a deadline, and so I worked all night so that I wouldn't have to do it last minute, and I get today off." She says. She had an office at the house that she worked from, and I was personally a little jealous that late work nights for her were spent in the comfort of her home.

"Well, then your in luck. I felt bad for spring Gia on you, so here's a chai." I say, offering it forwards. She takes it from and immediately takes a swig. Her eyes widen.

"This is amazing. Thanks." She said after pulling it away from her mouth.

"The girls will be up soon, why don't you sit down and wait?" She offers. I accept and we sit down across from each other at the table, and settle into comfortable conversation.

...

Please review!

Let's get 10 before I update!


	3. Chapter 3

Here it is! Thanks for all the reviews!

Also, for my guest reviewer that asked oh so many questions, please wait for the story to reveal answers. I can tell you that it was not Lizzy's choice to adopt the baby. It was more of a , "You're adopting a baby." And Lizzy not having the heart to say no.

I decided to call Will's cousin (Colonel Fitzwilliam) Liam because it is part of Fitzwilliam. I figured since one was Will, the other half of the name should have someone too.

...

I fell into the routine of running to the coffee shop every morning, sometimes with Gia, sometimes without. And every morning I got a huge chai. And everyone morning, I brought it over to Elizabeth's house, and we sat there and drank our respective beverages and talked.  
We talked about politics. We were both Democrats, although Elizabeth was much more focused on the politics of China and South America. I was focused on those of the UK, and often we discussed the weekly Bloomberg Finance.  
Once in awhile we talked about what it was like to go to an Ivy League College. Stanford was considered to be equal to one, along with MIT and CIT, but Elizabeth also clearly remembers her one year at Harvard.  
We talked about raising the girls and feeling so young and inexperienced doing it. Elizabeth felt like she wasn't qualified because of the childhood she had. I only had to hear a little to conclude that she did not have a very good one. Even though she loved her dad, I didn't think a lot of him from what I had heard.  
We talked about boarding school and living in foreign places. She had spent an exchange her in high school over in Beijing. We talked about missing places we thought of as home.  
We talked about Lî's biological mother once or twice. She didn't say much, just that once upon a time they had been good friends. There was a large age difference, maybe four years from what I could conclude. I could also concluded that Lizzie harbored resentment for her. Apparently the baby had literally been left at Lizzie's dorm.  
We spoke about growing up in two different places. She understood the mixture of feelings I felt about France and NYC. She felt the same feelings about Brooklyn and the small Minnesota town where the boarding school had been.  
We talked about her financial aid once. An anonymous donor had heard her story and offered her full scholarship if she transferred to Stanford. We talked about the person that she assumed was the same donor who did the same for her to attend boarding school.  
I talked about my parents dying, and Lizzie understood. She lost her dorm advisor from high school, who she though of as a mother, to ovarian cancer. She allowed me to cry on her shoulder when we talked about my mom.  
She told me about all her old friends. The ones from the church that she walked three miles to get to twice a week. She told me about her roommate and her good friend named Richard who was the one who helped her move down here for the transfer.  
I told her about Charles, though I left Caroline out, and I told her about my cousin Liam. I told her about everyone that I ever felt an emotional connection too. She listened so well.  
After a month of early morning talks and late night movies where the girls fell asleep, we became great friends. And we even flirted a bit.

...

"If we ever aren't going to bring me a chai in the morning, tell me ahead of time please." She says jokingly.  
"Ok." I agree with a laugh.  
"You have to tell me what this place is called too so that I can get it if you can't."  
"I'm not going to tell you where it is." I say with a laugh.  
"Why?" She asks.  
"Because then you'll get it yourself and I won't get to bring you coffee and we won't get to talk like this in the mornings." I say shyly. She laughs.  
"I hate you." She says bumping into the side of me playfully.  
"I hate you too." I confirm. She laughs and her head rests on my shoulder. It feels right sitting there.

...

I have never been a lucky person. Ahead of time, I should have acknowledged that all good things come to an end. Unfortunately, I was to busy falling in love with Elizabeth Bennet to do anything natural, smart, or preventative for the situation I had put myself in. Alas, I was not thinking.

...

15 reviews needed to continue!


	4. Chapter 4

Because I believe in the spirit of Pride and Prejudice, I am going to explain something.  
I do not understand stories where they hit it off from beginning. They are supposed to not like each other for a long period of time. I will add a little bit of Wickham, although we don't actually meet him he is just mentioned.  
So anyways, Lizzie and Darcy are going to run into some problems.  
This is the only time I will write in Lizzy's POV by the way because I suck at it.

Also, because I have a slight rep for writing things and never finishing them , I now prewrite ALL of my stories. And I have deleted my partials.

:-)

Will was leaving for Fiji soon, so Lî was at their house, playing with Gia before she left. But I had to leave to take her to her viola lesson soon, so I knocked on the door.  
I was fully expecting Will too open the door. Which is exactly why I was shocked when a tall blonde opened it.  
She had flawless tan skin, obviously died honey blonde hair, and very large breasts. She had squeezed into a mini dress that was about 8 sizes too small. She looked like... I am trying to curb my profanity because Lî can understand it now.  
"Are you the maid? You're late." She says rudely. I think my jaw would have dropped open if I wasn't clenching it shut to keep myself from reprimanding her.  
"No, I'm Will's neighbor. I'm here to pick up my daughter." I say with a fake smile. She returned the gesture and was soon smiling at me with such a fake smile that I wanted to throw up.  
"Oh, sorry. My name is Caroline. I'm Will's girlfriend." She says dismissively while sticking her hand out. I shook it all while slightly choking. Will was dating her? Was he really? Noticing the shocked look on my face, she makes a sad, sympathetic face.  
"Will was leading you on, wasn't he? I'm sorry sweetie, he doesn't mean to hurt anybody's feelings. You'd think that he would remember we are dating, even when I'm out of town. We are going on five years." She gives me a moment to absorb this before bursting the bubble and switching from sympathetic to annoyed.  
"Is your daughter that little Chinese girl?" She asks rudely. I nod and she yells up the stairs.  
"Gia bring your friend down." She screams it loudly, and I have to admit it makes my ears hurt. I smile at her, and Lî comes down the stairs a moment later, looking puzzled. She starts babbling to me and Chinese and I lead her out the door, all while fake smiling and nodding at Caroline. I just wanted to throw up.  
I had really liked Will. Yes, I had like him that way. I had thought that he was really nice, and understanding. We had even flirted a bit. I had flirted! And he had a girlfriend the whole time.  
I felt so silly. What he must have thought of me while I flirted and he already had someone else.  
I sat down and did something I hadn't done since the day that Char left me with Lî. I cried.

...

Will's POV

I was in the shower when I heard the whole conversation between Caroline and Elizabeth. There was a vent between the bathroom and the living room.  
I hopped out of the shower as fast as I could, but not fast enough to catch Elizabeth before she got in her house.  
Was she hurt? Did she feel bad stupid? Why had Caroline told her that?  
I ignored Caroline calling after me and I burst through the front door and after her. I rang the doorbell and waited patiently. Nobody came to the door. I waited and waited, peering through the side window all the time.  
"Will?" Asked a voice from above me. I looked up to see Lî hanging over the edge, waving her hand.  
"Why did you make my mommy cry?" She asks. My heart melts at the words.  
"Sweetie, I didn't mean to make your mom cry." I promise. She disappears from the edge and I sigh. I wait outside the door. Then it opens.  
My happiness bursts when I realize it's Lî. I sigh and squat to her level.  
"Sweetie, can I talk to your mom?" I beg. She shakes her head.  
"Mom said not to let you in. Especially you. Sorry Will. And by the way, I don't like your girlfriend. My mommy would be a lot better at her job for you." She says. She's not kidding.  
"I know bug." I say before she shuts the door in my face. I put my head in my hands and am ready to cry. But I don't.  
I walk back over to my house, stopping only to glance at the window that I know is hers. She looks at me out of it, keeping eye contact. I wave, and she shuts her curtain.  
I walk into the house, determined to find Caroline. Instead I find Charles standing in the middle of the living room, his arms crossed over his chest.  
"Will, we have to leave for Fiji now. We aren't going to get TSA pre-check if we don't hurry up." He tells me. I huff and go up to my bedroom to get my suitcase and Gia's. I stop to look in the room that Caroline was staying in. Her stuff is gone. No surprise. Why did I let her come to "help" Charles and I get ready for vacation.  
I go downstairs, to see Charles talking to Gia. She looks sad and unhappy. When she sees me she smiles.  
"Did you make mommy stop crying?" She asks. For a moment I am confused.  
"Who is mommy?" I ask, kneeling down to her level.  
"Lizzie." She says, blank-faced. My heart crumples at the look on her face. Charles looks depressed for a moment. He probably knows what Caroline did.  
"I didn't G." I tell her.  
"Can I go say bye?" She asks. I nod and open then door for her. She runs outs, and I turn to Charles.  
"Do you know what the heck your sister did?" I ask him. He nods.  
"Gia told me." He says a frown on his face.  
"She must hate me." I whine.  
"She'll come around. Serenade her. Send her roses all the time while we are in Fiji. You and Gia can send her postcards. You can send her pictures of Gia, which she'd obviously appreciate if she allows Gia to call her mom. She'll understand man." He tells me. I close my eyes briefly, still wanting to cry.  
"Ok. Ok." I breathe put softly. Charles nods. Gia comes in the door right then, holding a little glass bottle.  
"What is that?" I ask her, kneeling down to pry it from her hands. Inside was a piece of paper. I opened the bottle and tried it shake it out, but it didn't escape.  
"I have a tweezers in my car Will, but we have to go now." Charles say. I nod, and follow him out to the car.

After a long spell of fighting with the bottle, I finally remove the white paper.  
Water of Fiji  
It read in scribbled handwriting that I knew was Gia's. She probably copied it.  
"What's this for?" I ask, turning around in the seat to ask her.

"Lî said mom wanted water from Fiji for a collection she has because she never got to go herself. So she gave me the bottle that mom wants it in." I smile at the little glass bottle and think of ways to make it up to her.


	5. Chapter 5

Here it is!

Sorry it took so long, I was on vacation and my iPad burned out….

From Colonel Fitzwilliam, or in my story Liam's POV.

Caroline also makes some incriminating comments about abortion, I have no opinion on this matter, so whatever is said is purely an imagined viewpoint, I don't mean to offend anyone.

It is also incredibly dismissive, once again, I apologize. Abortion is a big deal.

...

Will sounded upset.  
To be honest, I reveled in it for a moment. Will rarely was upset over anything, much less a girl. To be honest, I was glad that he was finally having issues. I know that it seem selfish of me, but what can I say. It really wasn't fair that he breezed through law school while I was at Westpoint working my butt off. It also wasn't fair that he could probably have any girl that he set his sight on.  
But Will was gone, and his girl was alone for a month and mad at him. So, I, being the great cousin that I am set out to set things straight with his girl. I hopped in my car and drove the familiar path to the house. He had told me it was the house on the left. I swiftly walked up the driveway and knocked. I was earnestly surprised from the raised the voices that I heard erupting from inside.

...

Elizabeth's POV (my apologies)

I raged.  
"Do you understand what you are asking me to do?" I asked my boss incredulously. He looked more stressed than normal.  
"Elizabeth, this is not my decision you know that." He says.  
"But you have control over it! Why can't you stop this. This is crazy! You are telling me that if I don't go back to college and enroll in a Portuguese major program within the next six months, my job is over."  
"Lizzy, everyone else working for this company is doing it for a living. Your doing it to get you through college. This is a career! We are willing to triple your salary! Why can't you take it. You don't need medical school!" my boss insists. I shake my head back and forth, my pulse accelerating as I get more and more nervous.  
"You know I have no choice to sign this don't you." I tell him, my breathing getting big.  
"I'm sorry Elizabeth. Maybe you can do both." He tells me, looking sad.  
"Please. As if I have time. I have a daughter and this is the equivalent of the ivy leagues." I narrow my eyes and flop down on a couch.  
"The salary is really good. It includes amazing benefits." My boss begged.  
"I'll think about it." I tell him.  
"That's all I can ask." He says as he leaves the document on my desk.

...

Liam's POV

"She is not in a good mood, fair warning." The man who exited whispered at me. I assumed he was her boss of some sort because he was wearing a tux and carrying a briefcase. I chuckled at this, but soon turned my attention to the door.  
The lady standing in the door was undeniably attractive. She was tall and had unruly black hair that I personally found endearing. Not that I would say. Darcy had practically marked her.  
"Hi, I'm Liam, Will's cousin." I say. The already fake smile that I assume was the result of her boss faded.  
"What?" She snapped. Her nostrils flared and she stepped outside the house, her arms crossed over her chest.  
"Do you really think that Will ever has, or ever will date the bimbo who is Caroline Bingley?" I ask.  
"I don't know. She was at his house and seemed to know right away."

"Her brother and him were leaving for Fiji. She was there saying goodbye." I explain. She shakes her head.

"Honestly, I don't know what to believe. Why would he let someone like her be around Gia anyways? That lady is a first class witch. She's is also racist. I have met Charlie before too and the topic of his model sister never came up. And as much as I would love to keep being fed lies, I have a violin lesson to get my daughter too." Elizabeth turned on her heel and opened the door. Sharp words that I recognized as Chinese fell out of her mouth as she yelled at her daughter. Moments later, the girl that I assumed was Lî came scrambling down the stairs, carrying a little black case. Elizabeth gave me a smirk before leading her daughter down the driveway into the car. I sighed in defeat and made my way to mine.

"I tried man. Yes, I'm sorry." I sighed into the phone. Darcy had been pretty upset that Elizabeth didn't believe him.  
Darcy hung up on the other end of the line and I rolled my eyes. He was just so used to getting what he wanted.  
I turned back to Elizabeth's house, and glanced sideways at Caroline. She looked upset to have been dragged out from her apartment, especially by me. She was wearing a super tight and super pushy dress that made me want to throw up. Plus, she had practically showed me her butt when she got in the car. It was sickening.  
"You need to tell Elizabeth that you and Will have never dated, are not dating, and never will." I remind her firmly. She rolls her eyes.  
"What does he see in her anyways? She's just a single mother who didn't get an abortion." She says thoughtlessly. My mouth gapes open.  
"First of all, it's not secret that you have had a couple yourself, and second of all, her daughter is adopted. So you can shut your mouth, be polite, and not say anything about abortion, or her daughter's race." Caroline rolls her eyes and steps out of the car. I want to shoot her right now, but that would not be befitting of someone with my job.  
I follow her out of the car and to the front door. She rings the doorbell, and no surprise, Elizabeth is there in a minute.  
"Hello?" She asks expectantly.  
"Uh huh. So, Charlie made me come here to tell you that me and Will were never dating. I just made it all up because I thought it was funny he was screwing around with a single mother." Caroline says this all with a valley girl sort of accent, and Elizabeth looks appalled.  
"Ok, thanks. I have to get to a meeting, so I kind of have to go." She says. That's when I notice that she is wearing a pencil skirt and looks kind of dressed up.  
"Sweetheart, don't wear J-Crew to a meeting." Caroline tells her. Elizabeth raises her eyebrows.  
"Thanks. And don't wear slutty dresses in front of four year olds." She says with a sassy smile. She brushes past Caroline, and stops at me.  
"I'm sorry. I should have listened. It's all my fault that you have to deal with her now." She winces and gives me a sorry smile. I nod and shake it off.  
"No problem." I say. Then she walks away and climbs into her car, driving down the street, leaving me to wonder why I always have such bad timing.

...

25 reviews to continue!


	6. Chapter 6

Darcy's POV

We were finally back from Fiji. And what a relief it was. I had missed Elizabeth and Lî like crazy. In fact, Lî was becoming a little close to my heart.  
As I pulled up on her driveway, I sincerely hoped that things could go back to the way they were before. I held a chai in one hand and my coffee in another, and I was excited to see her after so long.  
I knocked on the door, and was surprised when Lî answered it. She smiled wide when she realized who it was.  
"Dad!" She squealed. I kneeled down to her level and put the drinks down so that she could run into my arms. She gave me a huge squishing hug, which I did appreciate, and I hugged her back.  
From inside, I heard a male voice echo,  
"Dad?" I looked up. Elizabeth stood at the door.  
"Hey Will." She said.  
"Hey." I said, releasing Lî to stand up with the drinks. I offered her the chai, and she smiled as she grabbed it.  
"Come on in." She says, opening the door.  
A man who looked to be older than Lizzie and I sat in the chair. He had boring brown hair and wasn't exceptionally handsome.  
"John." He said, standing up to shake my hand.  
"Will." I said.  
"I'm Lî's uncle." He says with a sad smile as if to tell me that he was no risk to my relationship with Elizabeth.  
"Nice to meet you." I say while shaking his hand. He smiles and I sit down on the offered chair.  
"Well, I have to get going, I will come get her next week." He says with a smile. Lizzie nods and gives him a brief hug before leaving.  
She sits down in the chair that he was sitting in.  
"He came to warn me that her mother wants her back." She says with a choke. My eyes widen at the statement.  
"Do you think that she is legally going to try?" I ask alarmed.  
"If I don't hand her over, yes."  
"Why?"  
"She is getting married. This guy is supposedly the father. She told me that she didn't know who the father was. She told me. She said that she didn't have any money. Oh my god." Elizabeth breaks down now, her face is in her hands, tears streaming down her face.  
"She swore she had no idea who he was. She said she didn't have anyway to contact him, and she is marrying him!" Elizabeth wailed.  
"I gave up Harvard and the whole time she had a ton of money in her bank account for a wedding dress! She was saving for a wedding dress and she had a child!" Elizabeth cried.  
Suddenly, I was just as upset as Elizabeth was. I knew that this girl had left Elizabeth with a baby. I also knew that she had finished her college degree when Elizabeth was just starting. And I also knew that Elizabeth said that she had been penniless and had no idea who the father was.  
I rub Elizabeth's back and she cries into her hands. I made shushing noises until she stops. Then she bursts into tears again. I hold her to my chest.

...

A week later, I get a text from Elizabeth.

She's here.

Immediately, I know exactly what she means. I tell Gia to go meet Lî on the rooftop, exactly like me and Elizabeth planned it. She goes, and I run over to the door. I open it myself and find Elizabeth sitting down on a chair opposite of a lady who looks nothing like Lî. I settle down on another chair by Elizabeth and put my hand over hers for support. She flinches but allows my hand to stay there.  
"I can take Lî back!" The girl exclaims with a smile. Elizabeth looks sad.  
"Charlotte, I'm not giving her back to you."  
The words break the room, and Char's face looks surprised.  
"She's my daughter." Char said with a small laugh, as if she thought Lizzie was kidding.  
"No, she's not. She's mine. You have never visited her once in four years. You have never paid a penny for her, and I know that you have had that job for awhile. I also know that you knew who the father was. And I knew about the $25,000 dollar bank account for your wedding dress. And I know that you were trying to sleep your way up the ladder, and that is how you ended up with _him._ "  
Elizabeth's face is raging red and she looks very ticked. And upset. Her eyes are narrowed and she looks p'oed.  
"What bank account?" Charlotte choked on the words.  
"Please. The one that you are saving for your Pnina Tornea." Elizabeth spits the designer name like she wants to cry.  
"Who did you become?" Elizabeth says. She chokes the last word out and starts crying.  
"Get out." I say to Charlotte. Her face is white, and she stands up, and without a word leaves.  
The court order comes a week later. I am going as Elizabeth's lawyer.

...

"You left a baby alone in a dorm with a stranger?" All of a sudden the judge has her eyebrows raised and is staring at Charlotte. It is not unlike a Judge Judy case.  
"Yes, but-"  
"Ok, your obviously not fit for parenthood." The judge says. This was not a proper court. But who was I to say anything. I had just won the case with virtually no work.  
She slams her gavel on the podium and court is adjourned. Elizabeth looks relieved and I am too.

...

When we arrive back at the house, Lî and Gia are playing in the front yard while their babysitter, Mrs. Samone from down the street sits and watches them.  
"You are back earlier than expected!" She says in her thick German accent as she sits down her knitting.  
"Yes,well, we were destined to win I guess!" Elizabeth says with a smile. She opens her purse and grabs a few bills Mrs. Samone thanks her and they have short conversation in what I guess is German.  
"I didn't know that you speak German!" I exclaim as soon as Mrs. Samone is down the driveway.  
"I speak a lot of languages. I"m like, the Michelangelo of them." She says with a smirk and a shrug. I rolls my eyes.

...

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